Die-separating means



M041 4 $.52 WW Sept. 29, 1925.

l R. L. WILCOX DIE SEPARATING MEANS Filed Feb. 6, 1922 Patented Sept. 29, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD LESTER wIL ox, or" WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR T0 nn WATERBURY FARREL FOUNDRY Ann MACHINE COMPANY, or W T B Y, Con- NEGTICUT, A CORPORATION or comvno'rrcur. i

mn-snrannrme Means.

Application filed February To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD Lns'rnn WIL- COX, a citizen of the United States, residing at Waterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Die- S'eparating Means, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to, the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to die separating means, its principal object being to provide simple mechanism for separating the dies of an open die header or upsetting machine.

Among other aims and objects of my invention may be recited the provision of a device of the character mentioned with a view to compactness and in which the number of parts are few, the construction simple, the cost of production small, and efficiency and operation high.

a The improvements in the details and arrangement of parts will be apparent from an' inspection of the accompanying drawings, in connection with the description hereinafter contained, and wherein an embodiment of the invention is disclosed for the purpose of imparting a full understanding of the same.

Having more particular reference to the drawings and in connection with which like reference characters refer to corresponding parts in the several figures;

Figure 1 isa front elevation of a pair of dies of a heading machine or the like with a portion of the supporting mechanism therefor and my improved separating means connected therewith;

'Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view thereof taken generally upon line 2 2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view thereof. taken generally upon line 3-43 of Figure 2; a

Figure 4 is a front elevation of a pair of dies'si'milar to Figure 1 with the separating means applied to the top thereof;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a group ofcy-lindrical rollers and I Figure 6 is a perspective view of a group I of ball rollers.

Ithas heretofore been the practiceto sepanate the dies of an open die header or up-f e, 1922. Serialno. 534,541. 1

a right angle to the movement of the dies.

lVith such mechanism the die cap or other part or parts that support the pins must be machined with great care and eX- actness and each must be in correct alignment with each other and the groove formed by the angular corner faces of the dies, when the dies are in proximity to the wire feed line. .If the pins are not so arranged, the lower pointed end thereofwill not register with said groove, thus having a tendency to cramp the dies and apply an unequal pressure thereto at different points throughout their length. a If this occurs, the dies may be separated more at one end than at the other, and if perchance the minimum separation is at the inner end of the dies a defective feed of the wire results and the end of the wire may abut against the dies and stop the feed.

lVith the use of such pins the spring pressure upon the end thereof is constant; therefore it requires not only a pressure sufficient to move the dies and cut ofl' the wire but also to resist the pressure of the pin actuating springs, which pressure is constant upon the top of one of the dies during its entire movement. There is no use for this pressure except when the dies are to be separated at the wire feed line;. hence more power is necessarily required to actuate the dies. While more powerful mechanism is required tomove the dies from the wire feed line to the upsetting line, the dies are usually returned by spring pressure, the strength of which is increased to overcome the needless drag and pressure of thepins.

As the pins are of substantial length the element in which theyare mounted must of necessity be of substantial height to provide proper supporttherefor and this height, as well as the pin operating -springs, re-

' drawings, numerals 10 and 11 represent the dies, which areof the usual form with corner angular faces 12 which unite to form a V shaped groove substantially as shown in Figures 1 and 8, wherein the dies are near the wire feed line near the line 2-2 of Figure l. A pieceof wire, designated 13, is shown in section at this feed line.

g The bed plate upon which the dies are supportedis designated 14, and the cap or cover over the top thereof 15.

All of the mechanism above described is .of a well known form and operates in an equally well known manner and therefore needs no further description herein.

The means for actuating th dies is not shown herein for the .above reason, but the axes of the operative grooves of the dies travel between the wire feed line and the upsetting line, which latter line is designated maz in Figure 1. From the wire feed line to the upsetting line the dies are positively actuated by relatively powerful mechanism to cut off a piece of the wire rod but are usually returned from the upsetting line by spring mechanism.

As shown, the dies are held against outward endwise movement by the plates 16 and 17. v

Mounted in the above mentioned V-shaped groove upon the'lower side of the dies, as illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3, is a roller 18 which may be substantially the length as the dies, as shown in Figure. 2, or may be va plurality of balls 25 (Figure 6) or cylindrical bodies 24 (Figure 5 shorter than the length of the dies and grouped together side by side in the same axial line- In the bed plate 14 is a recess 19 having mounted thereon ablock 20 with a cam face 21 thereon, which inclines from the 'direc-' Endwise movement of the roller 18'is prevented by any convenient means, one form of such means being a plate 23 which is secured to the bed plate 14 by the plate 16 and projects over and closes the front of the recess 19.

In Figure 1 the roller 18 is shown in contact with one of the faces 12 of each of the dies 10 and 11 and the cam face 21, at which time the dies are separated, the opening therebetween being. uniform in width throughout the length of the dies.

As the dies 10 and 11 travel toward and away from. the upsetting line, the roller 18 travels therewith being held in contact with the angular faces with which it is engaged by the block 20, the'spring thereon exerting just sufficient pressure to keep said roller in such contact.

Just before the dies are at the wire feed line, the bottom face of the block 20 engages the bottom of the recess 19 substantially as shown in Figure 3, and is there held against downward movement. The cam face 21 is now rigid and the roller is forced'further into the Vgroove as a result thereof, this motion separatingthe dies, the open space therebetween being uniform throughout the length thereof. I

The springs 22 are only of suflicient strength to actuate the block 20 and therefore apply practically no pressure to the dies through the rollers 18 during the movement thereof. -.Tl1usmy improved die separating mechanism requires a minimum amount of space, pressure is only applied when required, that 1's, when. the dies are at or near the wire feed line, and in'these and other ways, the objections to the mechanisms heretofore commonly utilized for separating the dies are eliminated and many obvious advantages secured.

I have shown in Figure 1 my improved mechanism as applied to the underside of the dies but obviously it will operate equally as wvell if applied to the topside thereof as shown in Figure 4, or if desired, it may be used upon both top and bottom. If applied to the top of the dies only, theblocks 20 and adjacent mechanism are mounted in the cap or cover 15 instead of the bed plate let.

A plurality of blocks 20, each in a separate recess, may also be substituted for a single block.

There are minor changes and alterations that can be made within my invention, aside from those herein suggested, and I would therefore have it understood that I do not limit myself to the xact construction herein shown and described, but claim all that falls fairly'within the spiritand scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. Means for separating the dies of a head ing'machine or the like, comprising in com blnation w1th the dles, a circular body that travels therewith and a movable cam in the path of movement of said body that changes the direction of travel of the body when engaged thereby and projects the same between and separates the dies.

2. Means for separating the dies of a heading machine or the like, comprising in combination with the dies, a circular body that travels therewith, a cam in the path of movement of said body that changes the direction of travel of the body and projects the same between and separates the dies, and yielding means for actuating the cam in one direction.

3. In combination with the dies of a heading machine or the like, of a member adjacent thereto, and having a recess therein, a block mounted therein, a circular member between said block and dies, and means for moving said block toward said dies.

4. In combination with dies of a heading machine or the like that are moved toward and away from a station, and means, comprising an element, and a movable member, for separating the dies when at said station, said means being actuated by the moving dies at such station through the element engaging the movable member and held thereby in contact with the dies.

5. Means for separating the dies of a heading machine or the like when in a predetermined position, comprising in combination with the dies, a block mounted in a part adjacent to said dies and held against movement when said dies are substantially in said predetermined position, means for moving said blocktoward said dies when the same are in motion away from said predetermined position, and an intermediate member be tween said dies and block.

6. Means for separating the dies of a heading machine or the like when in a predetermined position, comprising in combination with the dies, a block mounted in a part adjacent to said dies and held against movement when said dies are substantially in said,

predetermined position, means for moving said block toward said dies when the same are in motion away from said predetermined position, and an intermediate member between said dies and block having a rolling contact both with said dies and block.

7. Means for opening the dies of a heading machine or the like when the same are in predetermined position, comprising in combination with the dies, a body having contact with said dies and traveling in a substantially straight path during the movement thereof, a block mounted in a member adj acent to said dies, and means for actuating said block whereby the same is held in constant engagement with said body.

. 8. In combination with the dies of a heading machine or the like, a member adjacent thereto having a recess therein, a block within said recess having an inclined face, a body between said block and dies, and means for moving said block so that the said body will maintain contact with said dies during th movement thereof.

9. In combination with the dies of a heading machine or the like, a member adjacent thereto having a recess therein, a block within said recess having a face thereon, one portion of which is substantially flat and another portion inclined therefrom, a body between said block and dies, and means for moving said block so that the said body will maintain contact with said dies during the movement thereof.

10. Means for separating the dies of a heading machine or the like, when the same are in predetermined position, comprising in combination with the dies, a block in a part adjacent to said dies, a member between said block and dies, and means for mounting said block whereby it is rigidly held against movement in one direction when the dies are substantially in said predetermined position.

11. In combination with dies of a heading machine or the like, means for separating the same at a predetermined station comprising an element that moves with the dies, and a movable member in the path of movement of said element when the same is adjacent to said station.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

RICHARD LESTER WILCQX. 

